Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Slayer "Still Reigning" American Recordings 2004 reviewed by: Ken Pierce

Track ListingReign In Blood Live: 1. Angel Of Death 2. Piece By Piece 3. Necrophobic 4. Altar Of Sacrifice 5. Jesus Saves 6. Criminally Insane 7. Reborn 8. Epidemic 9. Postmortem 10. Raining Blood Bonus Material: 1. War Ensemble 2. Hallowed Point 3. Necrophiliac 4. Mandatory Suicide 5. Spill The Blood 6. South Of Heaven

Slayer has released a great new DVD entitled “Still Reigning”. There are a couple of stand out points to this release which follows the recent “War At The Warfield” of last year. For starters this is the first official release that will feature original drummer Dave Lombardo who has rejoined the band as a permanent member since 2003. With no offense to Paul Bostaph, Slayer is at is metal best with Dave on the skins. There is a DVD included in the career expansive boxed-set “Soundtrack To The Apocalypse” but not everyone is going to spend $100 in order to get it (I recommend they do however). The second stand out piece is the fact that the album “Reign In Blood” is performed from start to finish. Many people regard this as a seminal piece in the Slayer catalog. They are not wrong in that for this is the home of not only the title track, but also “Piece By Piece” as well as “Angel Of Death” and many more.

Those that attended the “Jaegermeister Music Tour 2003” will remember that “Reign In Blood” was performed as the encore to the bands set. Since I attended these shows, I found it to be a pretty excellent treat for all of the fans. The only difference from those nights is that during the climax of this DVD, the band is drenched in blood that pours down upon them and covers the players and the instruments. It is an intense visual as only you would expect from a band like Slayer.

While one of my criticisms of the DVD is the fact that they did not include the entire performance from the shows and I am guessing that this was avoided in order to have this DVD to be different from the “War” DVD. The bonus songs featured on the DVD were actually performed at the beginning and it would have been nice to perhaps see a couple of the recent videos they had done. “Reign In Blood” is performed to its perfection and it is excellent to see the original lineup in their most brutal fashion. Slayer while a band best experienced live, is still able to give you an example of what to expect in this DVD. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed at these masters of the craft.

Rating: 8/10

Slayer Homepage: www.slayer.net



--Ken 12.14.04